Parenting Panel: Meet The Pros
We asked 4 parenting pros in the community some of our burning questions.
Today’s Question:
How would you describe your parenting approach?
Cori Stern, MA, OCT, BCBA
Cori is a Learning Specialist and Behaviour Therapist. She’s also a Mother of a 6 & 4 year old. After completing her Masters in Child Study & Education she merged her backgrounds in Positive Parenting, Education, Child Development, and Applied Behaviour Analysis to deliver a very unique perspective on child growth & development.
She has over 15 years of clinical experience working with families doing Intensive Behaviour Intervention. Her current work focuses on coaching parents through the different ages and stages of development and school and home and so they can parent without the day to day stress and overwhelm!
“I believe in the Positive Parenting Model. A very positive and nurturing approach that makes my children feel connected at all times. I put great emphasis on the relationship between myself and each child, and my family as a whole. The odd time I turn to a little tough love and it kills me inside but I know in that moment it’s the best approach for long term success based on what’s going on.”
Dr. Jill Shuster, Ph.D., C.Psych.
Dr. Shuster is a Clinical and School Psychologist who works with children and adolescents in private practice at The Possibilities Clinic (possibilitiesclinic.com) and at the Toronto District School Board. She is registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario and a member of the Ontario Psychological Association. Outside of work, Dr. Shuster is a mother to two young children.
Dr. Shuster provides comprehensive psychological assessments for children and adolescents with developmental, learning, and social-emotional needs as well as individual therapy for children and adolescents with symptoms of ADD/ADHD, anxiety, low mood, and emotion regulation difficulties, as well as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). She uses a primarily cognitive behavioural therapy approach to treatment.
“My parenting approach continues to evolve as my children grow and develop and as they encounter new challenges. That said, some things have remained consistent. For example, my husband and I always try our best to work as a team and be consistent in our approaches. We parent our children with a nurturing focus. When our children are struggling in a situation, we try to find a quiet space to connect with them to help them change their behaviour. We ‘tag out’ when one of us needs a break and strive for consistent rules and expectations with our children.
I’m by no means a perfect parent and I try my best to apologize to my children when I make a mistake or over-react. I hope my model will help them learn that it’s okay to make mistakes and that while no one is perfect, it’s important to try our best.”
Tia Slightham
Tia is a teacher, business owner, best selling author (You’ve Got This Mama, Too) and “most importantly a mom”. She has a Masters degree in Early Childhood Ed., is certified in Positive Discipline and has worked with kids and families for over 15 years.
Tia is the founder of Tia Slightham- Parenting Solutions, where she works with parents to teach them positive ways to decrease the daily struggles we all encounter as parents. She aims to help clients learn to save time and energy so they can live a high quality life with their kids, enjoying the moments they have together.
“I am 100% a positive discipline parenting approach. When working with parents or parenting my own kids, everything avoids punishment. When punishment is used, it forces your child to feel blame, shame or pain. This may stop the unwanted behaviour for the moment, but the unwanted behaviour will come back and often times worse. Instead, I use a positive discipline approach where each strategy and tool helps your child feel better so that they will do better. This doesn’t mean letting your kids get away with everything, but it means using a firm, fair and consistent approach to help them learn lasting life lessons while building their confidence and self-esteem.”
Dr. Jemma Helfman, PsyD, C.Psych.
Dr. Helfman is a clinical psychologist working in private practice at Kidcrew in Toronto, Ontario.
Dr. Helfman trained at the University of East London and has worked with children and families for over 15 years.
Dr. Helfman takes a systemic approach to understanding her client’s concerns and often involves both parents and children in her interventions as she helps them to regulate and co-regulate emotions, recognize and respond to their thoughts, communicate positively and agree on clear behavioural goals and rewards when appropriate.
“As much as possible I take a positive approach to parenting. I believe that children do best when they feel connected to the adults in their lives. Both in my own parenting and with the families I work with, I work to ensure that there are plenty of positive interactions e.g. play times, praise, physical affection. I believe that children need limits and consequences but that too many of these can be detrimental to the relationship and that the child will “go for broke” if they are frequently being punished.”
Check back here as we ask the experts our burning parenting questions!
